Self-adjusting insulation, including insulation particularly suited for pipe or duct

ABSTRACT

Embodiments disclosed herein include insulation used to insulate elongated members, such a pipe or duct, as examples. The insulation can address a number of features, including but not limited to expansion and compression of insulation material, expansion and compression of the elongated member insulated, and the ability to adapt the insulation for elongated member of different sizes and lengths. In one embodiment, the insulation is comprised of at least one plank comprised of a flexible polymeric foam configured to be wrapped around an elongated member. In order for the insulation to self-adjust to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the foam material, the plank is comprised of a plurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles. At least one flexible polymeric foam spacer may also be provided that self-adjusts to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the elongated member to prevent or reduce gaps in insulation.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application and claimspriority to co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No.12/823,653 entitled “SELF-ADJUSTING INSULATION, INCLUDING INSULATIONPARTICULARLY SUITED FOR PIPE OR DUCT,” filed on Jun. 25, 2010, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/269,480entitled “INSULATION SYSTEM FOR LARGE DIAMETER PIPE OR DUCT,” filed onJun. 25, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The technology of the disclosure relates to insulation for an elongatedmember, such as a pipe or duct, as examples. The insulation may be usedfor low temperature and cryogenics, as examples.

BACKGROUND

Pipe or duct insulation is used in a variety of applications, such as inresidential, industrial and commercial applications. Insulation may bemade of inorganic materials like fiberglass, calcium silicate, andmineral wool, as examples. Inorganic type insulation can be used forhigh temperature applications. Insulation may be made of polymeric foammaterials like polyurethane, polyisocynurate, polystyrene, polyolefin,and synthetic rubber, as examples. Polymeric foam type insulation iscommonly used for medium and low temperature applications. Aerogelmaterial has been demonstrated to provide superior insulationproperties, but aerogel material is expensive. With the increasingimportance of energy efficiency, thick-wall pipe insulation is in highdemand.

Polymeric foam insulation can be rigid or flexible. The rigid foam canbe put on a destination pipe by either in-situ casting (i.e., sprayingfoam inside a jacket and letting it cure to solidify) or by assemblingpre-formed pieces such as semicircular-shaped profiles, which are cutfrom a big foam block/plank. Flexible foam can be a foam sheet (i.e.,single-layer or multi-layer, which is produced from an extrusion processand tailored to a specific size to cover a destination pipe) or a foamtube, which is extruded from an annular die and then opened via a slitto allow a pipe to get in. In order to make foam insulation for a pipewith a large outer diameter (OD), be it either a foam sheet or a foamtube, a large-capacity extruder and corresponding large-capacitydownstream cooling device can be used, both of which require largecapital investment. In addition, high extruder throughput makes uniformcooling of polymer melt and foam more difficult. Therefore, it is highlydesirable to manufacture a foam product used for large-diameter pipeinsulation without the use of a large extruder.

In addition, thermal contraction of insulation material is also achallenge for pipe insulation, especially for cryogenic applications.For example, for cryogenic applications, the temperature of theinsulation may become low during use, although the insulation isnormally installed at a higher ambient temperature. The insulationmaterial tends to compress or shrink when its temperature drops, whichmay lead to separation between insulation sections. The resulting gapcan lead to condensation of water vapor inside the insulation or betweenthe insulation and the pipe, causing serious damage to the insulation.Likewise, a pipe or duct can thermally expand along its length which maylead to separation between insulation sections and cause gaps that canlead to condensation of water vapor inside the insulation or between theinsulation and the pipe and cause serious damage to the insulation.

Further, polymer insulation materials show higher thermalexpansion/contraction coefficient than inorganic insulation materials.Among those polymer insulation materials, economic low densitypolyethylene (LDPE) demonstrates particularly poor thermal contraction.In addition, closed-cell, low-density, flexible polymeric foam shrinksmore than rigid or high-density foam. Hence, it would be advantageous tocompensate for the thermal contraction of the polymer foam insulationsuch that no gap (or separation) would develop at joints due totemperature changes. However, large diameter pipe insulation, forexample rigid semicircular foam, may require a lot of space to store ina truck or in a warehouse, which makes shipping and storage inefficient.Finding a more efficient method of shipping and storing large diameterpipe insulation is a challenge.

In addition, variations in pipe dimensions can make installation of pipeinsulation difficult. Usually, insulation material is sized to fit apipe's OD. For example, in the case of a pipe joint, for example, the ODchanges for a short distance due to either a larger OD adapter sleeve orone end of a pipe being slightly enlarged to overlap another pipe. Thus,the insulation should be changed or varied accordingly. Otherwise, therecould be a gap left in the insulation and that gap would be veryproblematic. For a cryogenic insulation application, a gap may exposethe pipe to the outer environment, and thereby allow water vapor toenter through the gap. The water vapor may result in condensation withinthe insulation or between the insulation and the pipe. This moisture maycause serious damage to the insulation system and require the system tobe replaced after several heating-cooling cycles.

A vacuum method is an effective way of insulation in terms of heatconduction. However, the vacuum method is relatively expensive. Airinsulation is less efficient than vacuum insulation. Air is a goodinsulation medium with thermal conductivity about five (5) times lessthan most plastics and one thousand (1,000) times less than steel.Ideally, air alone would be used as insulation since there is notadditional material cost. However, heat transfer takes place not onlyfrom thermal conduction but also from convection and radiation. If airis allowed to move freely over a pipe surface, heat transfer fromconvection would be much more significant than that from conduction. Onesolution to reduce heat convection from air flow is to get air sealedinside insulation such as in the form of foam (i.e., many air bubbles)or sealed in a hollow profile (i.e., one big bubble).

Embodiments disclosed herein can address some or all of the issuesmentioned above, including (1) how to make insulation for large diameterpipes or ducts by using a relatively small extruder, (2) the capabilityto adapt pipe or duct dimension variations so the insulationinstallation is easy and insulation would not be too tight or too looseon a pipe, (3) addressing thermal contraction of flexible polymeric foammaterial, (4) shipping and storing efficiency, and (5) utilizing air asa free insulation medium.

SUMMARY OF THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein include insulation that may be used toinsulate an elongated member, such a pipe or duct, as examples.Embodiments disclosed herein provide insulation that can address anumber of features disclosed in more detail in the detailed description,including but not limited to expansion and compression of the insulationmaterial, expansion and compression of the elongated member insulated,and/or customizing the length and/or width of the insulation to adapt todifferent elongated member sizes and lengths. By being able to customizethe length and/or width of the insulation, modularity in insulation canbe achieved such that, for example, a single size extruder may beemployed to produce insulation for a variety of different sizes ofelongated members to reduce costs, provide more convenient storage andshipping, and reduce inventory of unique insulation components.

In this regard in certain embodiments disclosed in the detaileddescription, the insulation is comprised of at least one plank comprisedof a flexible polymeric foam. The plank is configured to be bent orwrapped around an elongated member to dispose a first side of the atleast one plank proximate to a second side of the at least one plank tocreate a first end surface and a second end surface to embrace orsurround an elongated member. In order for the insulation to compensatefor thermal expansion and contraction of the foam material, in certainembodiments, the plank is comprised of a plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles each having hollow sections or channels disposed therein.In this regard, the flexible polymeric foam profiles are flexible andresilient and can compress to expand the length of the flexiblepolymeric foam profiles thus increasing the overall inner diameter ofthe plank when the foam material undergoes compression and/or otherdistortion as a result of bending of the plank, such as due to thermalcompression, in a self-adjusting manner.

At least one fastener can be provided and configured to fasten the firstside to the second side to secure the at least one plank in the shape orsubstantially the shape of the elongated member to insulate theelongated member. One or more adhesives, which may be disposed on sidesand/or end surfaces of the plank, can be employed to attach the firstside of the plank to the second side of the plank to secure the plankaround the elongated member.

By providing the plank comprised of a plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles, the insulation can be modularized to insulate varyinglengths of elongated members. The length of the plank can be controlledto provide modular sections that can be wrapped around elongated membersin series to insulate whatever length of the elongated member desired.Also, by providing a plank comprised of a plurality of flexiblepolymeric foam profiles connected to each other in parallel, theinsulation can be modularized and customized for a variety of differentsizes and lengths of elongated members from a single size extruder, forexample, if desired. The size of the plank can be controlled by thenumber of flexible polymeric foam profiles attached together to formdifferent size planks to wrap around different diameter elongatedmembers, as desired. In this manner, larger size elongated members maybe able to be insulated from insulation produced by a smaller or singlesize extruder, as an example.

In other embodiments disclosed in the detailed description, theinsulation is designed to avoid or eliminate gaps between insulationplanks wrapped around an elongated member in series when the elongatedmember expands or compresses during thermal expansion and compression.In this regard, certain embodiments include insulation for an elongatedmember that is comprised of at least one plank comprised of a flexiblepolymeric foam configured to be wrapped around an elongated member todispose a first side of the at least one plank proximate to a secondside of the at least one plank to create a first end surface and asecond end surface. At least one flexible polymeric foam spacer isfastened to the first end surface to compensate for thermal expansionand contraction of the elongated member when disposed around theelongated member.

As further non-limiting examples, the insulation in certain embodimentsdisclosed herein can be configured to be manufactured as a thick-layerinsulation for a large diameter elongated member without using a verylarge capacity foam extruder; thereby, reducing capital investment onproduction equipment. The insulation can be configured to readily adaptto dimension variations of a large diameter elongated member within areasonable range to save time on installation. The insulation can beconfigured to automatically compensate for thermal expansion/contractionsuch that gap or separation in the insulation is reduced or eliminatedto avoid or reduce damage from water condensation inside the insulation,and/or to minimize replacement work. The insulation can be configured tobe shipped and stored efficiently, because the insulation is comprisedof a plank that can be compactly overlapped as liner planks. Theinsulation can be configured to utilize free air enclosed inside hollowprofiles as additional insulation medium to save material.

Other systems, methods, and/or products according to embodiments will beor become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of thefollowing drawings, and further description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, and/or products be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the teachings herein, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiments, objects, uses, advantages, and novel featuresare more clearly understood by reference to the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying figures wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of an insulation comprised oftwo bendable planks of insulation comprised of a plurality of flexiblepolymeric foam profiles each having a hollow section disposed thereinwith a foam spacer disposed therebetween, installed on an elongatedmember in the form of a pipe, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a bendable plank of insulationin FIG. 1 in an unwrapped state, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 3A illustrates an end view of the bendable plank of insulation ofFIG. 1 in a wrapped state, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3B illustrates a partial view of FIG. 3A with specific reference tothe circled area in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A illustrates a hollow ring foam spacer that may be employed, forexample, in the foam spacer provided in FIG. 1, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4B illustrates a partial view of FIG. 4A with specific reference tothe circled area in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a connection between a bendableplank comprised of a plurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles and ahollow ring foam spacer, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates an end view of a multilayer insulation comprised ofconcentric planks comprised of a plurality of flexible polymeric foamprofiles, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an insulation with multiple hollowring foam spacers installed on a pipe between planks comprised of aplurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8A illustrates a side view of multiple pieces of hollow ring foamspacers overlapped to cover a pipe in a ninety (90) degree turningsection, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8B illustrates an end view of multiple pieces of hollow ring foamspacers overlapped to cover a ninety (90) degree turning section, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9A illustrates a patch or membrane for sealing the end surfaces offoam profiles or tubes that compose plank insulation, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9B illustrates an end view of insulation with a patch or membranefor sealing the end surfaces of foam profiles or tubes that composeplank insulation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate bendable plank of insulation in anunwrapped state of FIG. 2, but without hollow sections disposed in theplurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates a side perspective view of an insulation comprisedof two bendable planks of insulation of FIG. 10 with a foam spacerdisposed therebetween, installed on an elongated member in the form of apipe, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates an alternate bendable plank of insulation in anunwrapped state of FIG. 2, with filler material disposed in the hollowsections disposed in the plurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles,in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 illustrates a side perspective view of an insulation comprisedof two bendable planks of insulation of FIG. 12 with a foam spacerdisposed therebetween, installed on an elongated member in the form of apipe, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 illustrates an alternate bendable plank of insulation comprisedof a single flexible polymeric foam profile with a plurality of hollowsections disposed therein, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 illustrates a side perspective view of an alternate insulationcomprised of two bendable planks of insulation comprised of a pluralityof triangular-shaped polymeric foam profiles each having a hollowsection disposed therein with a foam spacer disposed therebetween,installed on an elongated member in the form of a pipe, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 illustrates a side view of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 illustrates the hollow ring foam spacer of FIG. 4A with aexpansion joint disposed therein; and

FIG. 18 illustrates the two bendable planks of insulation of FIG. 1employing the foam spacer of FIG. 17, installed on an elongated memberin the form of a pipe, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any configuration or design described hereinas “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other configurations or designs. An example is thatthe materials used for the exemplary embodiments may be made out ofman-made materials, natural materials, and combinations thereof. Afurther example is that the apparatus or components of the apparatus maybe manufactured by machine(s), human(s) and combinations thereof.

Certain embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsare shown. These embodiments may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosurewill be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein recitingembodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Embodiments disclosed herein include insulation that may be used toinsulate an elongated member, such a pipe or duct, as examples.Embodiments disclosed herein provide insulation that can address anumber of features disclosed in more detail in the detailed description,including but not limited to expansion and compression of the insulationmaterial, expansion and compression of the elongated member insulated,and/or customizing the length and/or width of the insulation to adapt todifferent elongated member sizes and lengths. By being able to customizethe length and/or width of the insulation, modularity in insulation canbe achieved such that, for example, a single size extruder may beemployed to produce insulation for a variety of different sizes ofelongated members to reduce costs, provide more convenient storage andshipping, and reduce inventory of unique insulation components.

In this regard in certain embodiments disclosed in the detaileddescription, the insulation is comprised of at least one plank comprisedof a flexible polymeric foam. The plank is configured to be bent orwrapped around an elongated member to dispose a first side of the atleast one plank proximate to a second side of the at least one plank tocreate a first end surface and a second end surface to embrace orsurround an elongated member. In order for the insulation to compensatefor thermal expansion and contraction of the foam material, in certainembodiments, the plank is comprised of a plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles each having hollow sections or channels disposed therein.In this regard, the flexible polymeric foam profiles are flexible andresilient and can compress to expand the length of the flexiblepolymeric foam profiles thus increasing the overall inner diameter ofthe plank when the foam material undergoes compression and/or otherdistortion as a result of bending of the plank, such as due to thermalcompression, in a self-adjusting manner.

At least one fastener can be provided and configured to fasten the firstside to the second side to secure the at least one plank in the shape orsubstantially the shape of the elongated member to insulate theelongated member. One or more adhesives, which may be disposed on sidesand/or end surfaces of the plank, can be employed to attach the firstside of the plank to the second side of the plank to secure the plankaround the elongated member.

By providing the plank comprised of a plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles, the insulation can be modularized to insulate varyinglengths of elongated members. The length of the plank can be controlledto provide modular sections that can be wrapped around elongated membersin series to insulate whatever length of the elongated member desired.Also, by providing a plank comprised of a plurality of flexiblepolymeric foam profiles connected to each other in parallel, theinsulation can be modularized and customized for a variety of differentsizes and lengths of elongated members from a single size extruder, forexample, if desired. The size of the plank can be controlled by thenumber of flexible polymeric foam profiles attached together to formdifferent size planks to wrap around different diameter elongatedmembers, as desired. In this manner, larger size elongated members maybe able to be insulated from insulation produced by a smaller or singlesize extruder, as an example.

In other embodiments disclosed in the detailed description, theinsulation is designed to avoid or eliminate gaps between insulationplanks wrapped around an elongated member in series when the elongatedmember expands or compresses during thermal expansion and compression.In this regard, certain embodiments include insulation for an elongatedmember that is comprised of at least one plank comprised of a flexiblepolymeric foam configured to be wrapped around an elongated member todispose a first side of the at least one plank proximate to a secondside of the at least one plank to create a first end surface and asecond end surface. At least one flexible polymeric foam spacer isfastened to the first end surface to compensate for thermal expansionand contraction of the elongated member when disposed around theelongated member.

In this regard, FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an insulation 2installed on an elongated member in the form of a pipe 17 in accordancewith some exemplary embodiments. In this embodiment, the insulation 2 iscomprised of two planks 11 of insulation installed in series. The planks11 of insulation are separated by a hollow ring foam spacer 18. As willbe discussed in more detail below, the spacer 18 allows the planks 11 toexpand and contract along the longitudinal axis of the pipe 17 when thepipe 17 thermally contracts and expands to prevent or reduce gapsbetween adjacent planks 11 insulating the pipe 17. By providing thisarrangement, any number of planks 11 can be wrapped around a pipe orother elongated member in series for any length desired to provide forflexibility in insulating various sizes of elongated members. Spacers 18can be provided between each plank 11 installed in series to allow theinsulation to self-adjust due to compression and expansion of the pipe17.

The plank 11 and spacer 18 can be formed from any type of polymericmaterial, including thermoplastic and thermoset materials. Any type ofcellular configuration may be provided, including open cell foam, closedcell foam, and bicellular foam (i.e., having both open and closedcells). Non-limiting examples of thermoplastic materials includepolypropylene, polypropylene copolymers, polystyrene, polyethylenes,ethylene vinyl acetates (EVAs), polyolefins, including metallocenecatalyzed low density polyethylene, thermoplastic olefins (TPOs),thermoplastic polyester, thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), polyvinylchlorides (PVCs), chlorinated polyethylene, styrene block copolymers,ethylene methyl acrylates (EMAs), ethylene butyl acrylates (EBAs), andthe like, and derivatives thereof. Non-limiting examples of thermosetmaterials include polyurethanes, natural and synthetic rubbers, such aslatex, silicones, EPDM, isoprene, chloroprene, neoprene,melamine-formaldehyde, and polyester, and derivatives thereof.

The density of the plank 11 and spacer 18 may be provided to any densitydesired. These materials can also be made biodegradable and fireretardant through the use of additive master batches. As anotherexample, the thermoset material can be soft or firm depending onformulations and density selections. Further, if the thermoset materialselected is a natural material, such as latex for example, it may beconsidered biodegradable. Further, bacteria, mildew, and mold cannotlive in certain thermoset foams.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a bendable plank 11 ofinsulation in an unwrapped state in accordance with some exemplaryembodiments to provide more detail. In this regard, the plank 11 may beflat or curled in its natural shape before being wrapped around the pipe17. In this embodiment, the bendable plank 11 of insulation comprises aplurality of hollow flexible polymeric foam profiles or tubes 12, oneconnected to another in parallel. The profiles 12 may be connectedtogether in any manner desired, such as by adhesive or weld as examples.The profiles or tubes 12 each have a longitudinal axis. The polymericfoam profile or tube 12 is made of a foam material or other resilientand flexible material. The profiles 12 each contain hollow sections 3 inthis embodiment that allow the plank 11 to contract and deform underpressure or stress to readily adapt to the shape of an elongated member,such as the pipe 17 in FIG. 1, and forces of bending, and to self-adjustor compensate due to any compression or expansion of the profiles 12 toavoid damaging or tearing the plank 11 and thus compromising theinsulation 2.

In this embodiment, the bendable plank 11 of insulation comprises four(4) perimeter sides, two of which are longitudinal sides 4A, 4B thatextend along the longitudinal axis of the outermost profiles or tubes12, and two of which are latitudinal sides 5A, 5B disposed orthogonal tothe longitudinal sides 4A, 4B. To wrap the plank 11 around an elongatedmember, such as the pipe 17 in FIG. 1 for example, to insulate theelongated member, one longitudinal side 4A is wrapped around theelongated member to the other longitudinal side 4B such that endsurfaces 6A, 6B of the longitudinal sides 4A, 4B are disposed proximateto each other and end surfaces 9A, 9B of the latitudinal sides 5A, 5Bmay connect the end surfaces 6A, 6B. At least one fastener 7 is providedin this embodiment and configured to fasten the first longitudinal side4A to the second longitudinal side 4B to secure the plank 11 in theshape or substantially the shape of an elongated member to insulate theelongated member.

In this embodiment, the fastener 7 includes two strips of adhesive layer13 affixed to two outermost profiles 12, as shown in FIG. 2. The stripof adhesive layer 13 is covered by a strip of liner 14. The strip ofliner 14 may be a peel-off strip of liner to protect the strip ofadhesive layer 13 until ready for use. The strip of adhesive layer 13serves as a sealing function to bind, bond, affix, or couple togetherthe outermost profiles or tubes 12 along a plane. The fastener 7 in thisembodiment further comprises a pair consisting of fastener strips 15 anda tie strap 16, as shown in FIG. 2, both of which together serve as aprimary fastening system. The primary fastening system may comprise ahook and loop fastening system, a Velcro® fastening system, sticky tape,glue, a weld, or other quick release fastening systems or adhesive.

The fastener strips 15 may be configured as female portions of amale/female fastening system with the tie strap 16 serving as a maleportion. Each outermost profile or tube 12 includes fastener strips 15or tie straps 16 affixed longitudinally thereto. The fastener strips 15and the tie straps 16 are offset approximately ninety (90) degrees withrespect to the strip of adhesive layer 13 on the same outermost profileor tube 12. Thus, the two outermost profiles or tubes 12 are fastened,tied or strapped together by the fastening system along a plane and at alocation which is offset from the location of the sealing by the stripof adhesive layer 13. The strip of adhesive layer 13 also serves as anassistant fastening function to help the primary fastening systemconsisting of the fastener strips 15 and the tie straps 16.Alternatively, a sticky tape may be used to achieve the same purpose asthe fastener strips 15 and the tie straps 16. A qualified sticky tapetype fastener should be able to maintain its integrity (i.e., strengthof bonding) over a wide range of temperatures.

Because the foam profile or tube 12 is hollow and is made of flexiblepolymeric foam, each individual hollow profile in the plank ofinsulation can self-adjust (i.e., automatically and individuallydistort) its shape without building up too much stress between adjacentfoam profiles. Also, because of the properties of hollow foam profiles,variations in the pipe diameter can be tolerated to a certain degree.This makes the installation of the pipe insulation described herein mucheasier since it is not necessary to perfectly match the dimensions ofthe pipe and the foam insulation.

The basic function of the adhesive layer 13 is to seal an insulation gapbetween two opposite edges of the plank 11 when the plank 11 is wrappedaround an elongated member. The secondary function of the adhesive layer13 is to provide fastening in addition to the primary fastening systemconsisting of the fastener strips 15 and the tie straps 16. The bendableplank 11 of insulation further comprises an adhesive layer 26 on the endsurfaces of each profile or tube 12 and the adhesive layer 26 is coveredby a strip of liner 27 as shown in FIG. 2. The strip of liner 27 may bea peel-off strip of liner to protect the adhesive layer 26 until readyfor use.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an end view of the bendable plank ofinsulation in a wrapped state in accordance with some exemplaryembodiments. As illustrated therein, the plank 11 is composed of thefoam profiles or tubes 12 and is wrapped around the pipe 17 of FIG. 1.After the strips of liner 14 (FIG. 2) are removed from the adhesivelayer 13, two opposite longitudinal edges (e.g., the outermost profilesor tubes 12) of the bendable plank 11 of insulation are bonded togetherthrough adhesive layer 13. The fastener strips 15 and the tie straps 16lock the wrapped state of the insulation 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the hollow ring foam spacer 18 in accordancewith exemplary embodiments. In this embodiment, the spacer 18 has ahollow section 8 disposed therein that allows the spacer 18 to compressand contract about the diameter of the elongated member which the spacer18 is disposed around. The spacer 18 in this embodiment is a hollowflexible polymeric foam body 19 in a ring shape and with flat front andback faces. An adhesive layer 20 is put on the front and back faces ofthe spacer 18, and covered by non-stick plastic films or papers 21. Theplastic film or paper 21 is removed from the adhesive layer 20 atinstallation to create a bonding between the spacer 18 and the bendableplank 11 of insulation. As the result, all of air channels of the hollowfoam profiles 12 are sealed, and the plank 11 of insulation isintegrated section by section with a spacer 18 in between.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in this embodiment, thespacer 18 has a ring or donut shape with a gap at one point. An adhesivelayer 22 is placed on the cross section area of the gap. The adhesivelayer 22 is covered by non-stick plastic films or papers 23 before inuse. The gap allows the spacer 18 to be slipped on or over a pipe 17.Once the spacer 18 is on a pipe 17, the non-stick plastic film or paper23 should be peeled off from the adhesive layer 22 to have the spacerbody 19 bonded to itself to form a closed ring. In other words, the gapis closed.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a connection between thebendable plank 11 and the hollow ring foam spacer 18 in accordance withexemplary embodiments. The adhesive layer 20 on the front and back facesof the spacer 18 is bonded to the adhesive layer 26 on the end surfacesof the profiles or tubes 12.

The hollow ring foam spacer 18 is designed for compensation of thermalcontraction or expansion of the insulation 2. It can be found inliterature that the linear expansion coefficient of polyurethane isabout 6×10⁻⁵ 1/C, polystyrene about 12×10⁻⁵ 1/C, and polyethylene about30×10⁻⁵ 1/C at room temperature. Assuming temperature changes from 25°C. (room temperature) to −25° C., polyurethane, polystyrene, andpolyethylene would approximately shrink 0.3%, 0.6% and 1.5%,respectively. Flexible closed-cell foam may shrink even more due todecreasing air bubble volume in the foam. As an example, polyolefin foampipe insulation may separate at each joint to leave, on average, one (1)inch gaps every ten (10) feet (ft) along a pipe. In cryogenicapplication (below −73° C.), shrinkage of plastics or rubber foaminsulation may be even worse. As a part of certain embodiments providedherein, the thermal shrinkage issue is resolved by inserting adeformable and recoverable hollow ring foam spacer 18 between pieces ofinsulation. The hollow ring foam spacer 18 can be squeezed atinstallation at ambient temperature to accommodate longer length of pipeinsulation. As the bendable plank 11 of insulation shrinkslongitudinally at low temperatures, the spacer 18 can bounce back tomake up the length.

As an alternative to the prefabricated adhesive layers 13 and 26 on theplank 11 as well as the prefabricated adhesive layers 20 and 22 on thespacer 18, fast curing glue or adhesive sealant may be directly appliedto the interface between the bendable plank 11 of insulation and thespacer body 19 to replace the adhesive layers 13, 26, 20 and 22, and toeliminate the corresponding non-stick plastic films or papers on theadhesive.

FIG. 6 illustrates a multilayer insulation in accordance with someexemplary embodiments. A first insulation layer 24 comprised of a firstplank and a second insulation layer 25 comprised of a second plank bothlike or similar to planks 11 in FIGS. 1 and 2 are overlapped on the samesection of the pipe 17 or other elongated member. In this manner,additional insulation can be provided wherein planks 11 are disposedaround an elongated member concentrically. Because the planks 11 areflexible and can be provided of different sizes, multiple planks 11 canbe wrapped concentrically around an elongated member to provideinsulation. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the second insulation layer 25 isconcentrically wrapped around the first insulation layer 24. The firstand second insulation layers 24 and 25 are each comprised of a plank 11of insulation configured to be bent.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the insulation 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2, butwith multiple pieces of hollow ring foam spacers 18 installed on a pipe17 in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. Since residual lengthof a pipe to be insulated may not exactly match to whole section lengthof the plank 11, multiple pieces of spacers 18 can be used to make upthe residual length. In this manner, the number of spacers 18 employedcan be chosen to be commensurate with the expected ranges of thermalcompression and expansion of the elongated member so that gaps areavoided or reduced between adjacent planks.

FIG. 8A illustrates a side view of multiple pieces of hollow ring foamspacers 18 overlapped to cover a pipe 17 in a ninety (90) degree turningsection in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. Since the hollowring foam spacer 18 can be compressed unevenly in this embodiment, itcan be installed in a section of pipe orientation tuning in any angle.By using one or two or more strips of sticky tape or fasteners 28, theunevenly compressed shape of each hollow ring foam spacer 18 can be heldup in the pipe orientation angle change section. FIG. 8B illustrates anend view of multiple pieces of hollow ring foam spacers 18 overlapped tocover a pipe 17 in ninety (90) degree turning section in accordance withsome exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a membrane or patch 29 for sealing off theend surfaces of the hollow sections 3 of the foam profiles or tubes 12that compose the plank 11 in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.For example, a vacuum or other material may be established inside thehollow sections 3 to provide further insulation properties in the plank11. In this embodiment, the patch 29 is a piece of plastic film in aring shape with adhesive layers on both sides. In some cases, such as:(1) pipe temperature is not very low, therefore there is no shrinkageproblem of insulation, and (2) pipe is long and straight without issueof pipe orientation turning, the patch 29 can be used to replace thehollow ring foam spacer 18. FIG. 9B illustrates an end view of theinsulation 2 with the patch 29 for sealing the end surfaces of the foamprofiles or tubes 12 that comprise the plank 11 in accordance with someexemplary embodiments.

Numerous variations and alternatives are possible. For example, the foamused to construct the plank 11 described above may be flexible enough tonot require the hollow section 3 to be bent around an elongated memberand to expand and compress in response to thermal conditions. In thisregard, FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate bendable plank 11(1) ofinsulation 2 in an unwrapped state of FIG. 2, but without the hollowsections 3 disposed in the plurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles12, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates aside perspective view of an insulation 2 comprised of two bendableplanks 11(1) of insulation of FIG. 10 with the spacer 18 disposedtherebetween, installed on the pipe 17, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. The other features of the plank 11(1) in FIGS. 10 and 11 canbe the same as provided in the plank 11, as provided by common elementnumbers in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above, and thus will not be repeated.

A filler material could also be disposed in the hollow sections 3 of theprofiles 12 of the plank 11 in FIGS. 1 and 2 to provide flexibility inthe plank 11 being able to bend around an elongated member and to expandand compress in response to thermal conditions if insulation other thanair is desired to be provided inside the profiles 12. In this regard,FIG. 12 illustrates an alternate bendable plank 11(2) of the insulation2 in an unwrapped state of FIG. 2, with filler material 30 disposed inthe hollow sections 3 disposed in the plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles 12, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The fillermaterial 30 can be any of the materials previously described above aspossibilities for the profiles 12 and spacer 18, as examples. FIG. 13illustrates a side perspective view of the insulation 2 comprised of twobendable planks 11(2) of FIG. 12 with the spacer 18 disposedtherebetween, installed on an elongated member in the form of a pipe, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment. The other features of the plank11(2) in FIGS. 12 and 13 can be the same as provided in the plank 11, asprovided by common element numbers in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above, andthus will not be repeated.

The profiles 12 in the plank 11 of FIGS. 1 and 2 do not have to beprovided as separate elongated sections attached together, such asthrough a weld, but could be provided as a single extruded or moldedpiece. In this regard, FIG. 14 illustrates an alternate bendable plank11(3) of insulation comprised of a single flexible polymeric foamprofile 12(3) with a plurality of hollow sections 3(3) disposed therein,in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The other features of theplank 11(3) in FIG. 14 can be the same as provided in the plank 11, asprovided by common element numbers in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above, andthus will not be repeated.

Further, the profiles 12 described above to this point have beenelliptical or circular-shaped, but such is not required. Othergeometries can be provided for profiles disposed in a plank, includingbut not limited to rectangular, square, triangular, and other polygonalshapes having more than four sides. In this regard, FIG. 15 illustratesa side perspective view of an alternate insulation 2 comprised of twobendable planks 11(4) of insulation having a plurality oftriangular-shaped polymeric foam profiles 12(4) disposed therein eachhaving a hollow section 3(4) disposed therein. FIG. 16 illustrates aside view of FIG. 15. The spacer 18 is disposed therebetween andinstalled on the pipe 17, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.The other features of the plank 11(4) in FIGS. 15 and 16 can be the sameas provided in the plank 11, as provided by common element numbers inFIGS. 1 and 2 described above, and thus will not be repeated.

Further, alternative embodiments of the spacer 18 are also possible. Forexample, it may be desired to provide for the spacer 18 to thermallycontract and expand about a joint to provide increased flexibility. Inthis regard, FIG. 17 illustrates the hollow ring foam spacer 18(1) likethat of the spacer 18 in FIG. 4A, but with an expansion joint 32disposed therein. FIG. 18 illustrates the two bendable planks 11 ofinsulation of FIGS. 1 and 2 employing the spacer 18(1) of FIG. 17,installed on a pipe 17, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Theother features of the spacer 18(1) in FIGS. 17 and 18 can be the same asprovided in the spacer 18, as provided by common element numbers inFIGS. 4A and 4B described above, and thus will not be repeated.

While the embodiments disclosed herein have been described with respectto various features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled andunskilled in the art will recognize that these various features,aspects, and embodiments are not limiting. Other variations,modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope.

For example, in view of the foregoing description, it should be notedthat the insulation described herein can be used with pipe of a varietyof diameters equal to or greater than three inches (3″), as an example.The embodiments disclosed herein can be advantageous for insulatinglarge diameter pipes or ducts, for example, using a small and/or singlesize extruder. In view of the foregoing description, the adhesive layermay include pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) or a two-component (A-B)glue. In view of the foregoing description, the hollow flexible foamprofile 12 can be round (i.e., tube), but can be in elliptical, square,triangular, or other shapes. In accordance with some exemplaryembodiments, the insulation can be applied to square or other shapeduct. In view of the foregoing description, the hollow foam profile ofthe plank insulation in the embodiments disclosed herein can be made,for example, from polymeric materials with glass transition temperature(Tg) below room temperature (25° C.).

In view of the foregoing description, the foam that is used to build theinsulation in the embodiments disclosed herein can have, for example, adensity in a range from ten (10) kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³) to 50kg/m³ and has cell size in a range from 0.1 millimeters (mm) to 5 mm, asan example. In view of the foregoing description, the insulation mayinclude a jacket which is made of aluminum, PVC, or other materials. Thejacket can protect the insulation or parts thereof. In view of theforegoing description, the plank insulation is made by thermal welding,piece by piece in parallel. The number of the profiles can be any,depending on the diameter of the pipe to be insulated.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, one piece of plankinsulation is connected to another piece of plank of insulation bybutt-to-butt gluing, thermal welding, or other methods to increase thelength of the insulation.

What is claimed is:
 1. Insulation for an elongated member, comprised of:at least one plank comprised of a plurality of flexible polymeric foamprofiles each having hollow sections disposed therein and connected toeach other in parallel for compensation of thermal expansion andcontraction; wherein the at least one plank is configured to be disposedaround an elongated member to dispose a first end surface of a firstlongitudinal side of the at least one plank proximate to a second endsurface of a second longitudinal side of the at least one plank; atleast one fastener configured to fasten the first longitudinal side tothe second longitudinal side to secure the at least one plank in a shapeor substantially the shape of the elongated member to insulate theelongated member; and at least one flexible polymeric foam spacerfastened to a first end surface of a first latitudinal side of the atleast one plank to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction ofthe at least one plank.
 2. The insulation of claim 1, wherein theplurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles are comprised of foamedmaterial comprised from the group consisting of polypropylene,polypropylene copolymer, polystyrene, polyethylene, ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), polyolefin, including metallocene catalyzed low densitypolyethylene, thermoplastic olefin (TPO), thermoplastic polyester,thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs),chlorinated polyethylene, styrene block copolymers, ethylene methylacrylates (EMAs), ethylene butyl acrylates (EBAs), polyurethane, naturalrubber, synthetic rubber, latex, silicone, EPDM, isoprene, chloroprene,neoprene, melamine-formaldehyde, and polyester.
 3. The insulation ofclaim 1, further comprising a filler material disposed in the hollowsections.
 4. The insulation of claim 3, wherein the filler material iscomprised from the group consisting of a bicellular material, athermoset material, and a thermoplastic material.
 5. The insulation ofclaim 1, further comprising a vacuum disposed in the hollow sections. 6.The insulation of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of flexiblepolymeric foam profiles is made from polymeric materials with a glasstransition temperature (Tg) below twenty-five degrees Celsius (25° C.).7. The insulation of claim 1, wherein the at least one plank is flat orcurled in its natural shape before being disposed around the elongatedmember.
 8. The insulation of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality offlexible polymeric foam profiles has a cross-sectional shape in the formof a circle, ellipse, rectangle, square, triangle, and polygon havingmore than four sides.
 9. The insulation of claim 1, wherein the hollowsections of each of the plurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles issealed at a time of installation with a patch, which has a single-sidedadhesive or a double-sided adhesive, to cover all of the hollowsections.
 10. The insulation of claim 1, further comprising glue,adhesives, or welds disposed between each of the plurality of flexiblepolymeric foam profiles to connect the plurality of flexible polymericfoam profiles to each other.
 11. The insulation of claim 1, furthercomprising a patch disposed on the first end surface of the firstlatitudinal side to seal off the hollow sections.
 12. The insulation ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one second flexible polymeric foamspacer fastened to the second end surface of the second latitudinal sideto compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the at least oneplank.
 13. The insulation of claim 1, wherein the least one flexiblepolymeric foam spacer is comprised of a plurality of flexible polymericfoam spacers secured to one another in parallel.
 14. The insulation ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one flexible polymeric foam spacerincludes a flat surface end to cover and block the hollow sections. 15.The insulation of claim 1, further comprising a glue, adhesive, or weldfastening the at least one flexible polymeric foam spacer to the firstend surface of the first latitudinal side.
 16. The insulation of claim1, further comprising at least one expansion joint disposed in the atleast one flexible polymeric foam spacer.
 17. The insulation of claim 1,wherein the at least one flexible polymeric foam spacer is comprised ofa foamed material from the group consisting of polypropylene,polypropylene copolymer, polystyrene, polyethylene, ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), polyolefin, including metallocene catalyzed low densitypolyethylene, thermoplastic olefin (TPO), thermoplastic polyester,thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs),chlorinated polyethylene, styrene block copolymers, ethylene methylacrylates (EMAs), ethylene butyl acrylates (EBAs), polyurethane, naturalrubber, synthetic rubber, latex, silicone, EPDM, isoprene, chloroprene,neoprene, melamine-formaldehyde, and polyester.
 18. The insulation ofclaim 1, further comprising at least one second plank comprised of aplurality of flexible polymeric foam profiles each having hollowsections disposed therein and connected to each other in paralleldisposed around the at least one wherein the at least one plank isconfigured to be disposed between the at least one second plank and theelongated member when the at least one plank and the at least one secondplank are disposed around the elongated member.
 19. The insulation ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one fastener comprises a first adhesivelayer attached to the first longitudinal side of the at least one plankconfigured to be fastened to the second longitudinal side of the atleast one plank.
 20. The insulation of claim 19, wherein the at leastone fastener further comprises a second adhesive layer attached to thesecond longitudinal side of the at least one plank configured to befastened to the first adhesive layer.
 21. The insulation of claim 19,further comprising a first non-stick plastic film or paper linercovering the first adhesive layer.
 22. The insulation of claim 19,wherein the first adhesive layer is comprised of pressure sensitiveadhesive (PSA) glue, a re-closeable plastic fastener, a hook and loopconfiguration, Velcro, or tape.
 23. The insulation of claim 1, whereinthe at least one fastener is comprised of a weld, glue, or adhesivedisposed between the first longitudinal side and the second longitudinalside.
 24. The insulation of claim 1, wherein the at least one fasteneris disposed between the first end surface of the first longitudinal sideand the second end surface of the second longitudinal side.
 25. Theinsulation of claim 1, wherein the at least one fastener is comprised ofa first fastener disposed on the first longitudinal side orthogonal orsubstantially orthogonal to the first end surface of the secondlatitudinal side.
 26. The insulation of claim 25, wherein the at leastone fastener further comprises a second fastener disposed on the secondlongitudinal side orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the secondend surface of the second latitudinal side.
 27. The insulation of claim26, further comprising a fastener strip secured to the first fastenerand the second fastener.
 28. The insulation of claim 27, wherein thefastener strip is secured to the at least one plank prior to beingsecured to the first fastener and the second fastener.